


cause we're more than friends, we're perfect together

by BornInTheDusk



Series: and they were soulmates (oh my god, they were soulmates) [1]
Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, All Joshs' bring pot brownies to parties, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Awkward Quentin Coldwater, Eliot Waugh being a lovable idiot, Eliot Waugh is Extra, Getting Together, I know from EXPERIENCE, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Julia Wicker is a Good Friend, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Eliot Waugh, Overcomplicating things, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Stupidity, don't read into that, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 12:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18604336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BornInTheDusk/pseuds/BornInTheDusk
Summary: Quentin felt a little bitter towards the whole situation because this only provided evidence for the “Eliot doesn’t want to be his soulmate” theory.He knows it’s unfair of him to wish for any form of a more-than-platonic relationship with Eliot. Just because you’re soulmates with someone doesn’t mean you’ll work on a long-term basis.His parents didn’t work. As soon as he was born Quentin’s mum left and started dating her colleague, Molly. They’re still not married but Quentin thinks it’s for the best, his mum doesn’t do well tied down. She panics and begins to feel trapped … and then she runs.When she runs she’ll drop everything, her job, her kid, everything.Eliot’s probably the same way.-ˏˋ alternatively ˊˎ-The one where Quentin and Eliot start chatting through an online school forum prior to their first live meeting, soulmate shenanigans and anxiety ensues.(Title is fromBlue Heaven Midnight Crushby Betty Who.)





	cause we're more than friends, we're perfect together

**Author's Note:**

> I have a queliot playlist on Spotify — [_peaches & plums, motherfucker_](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4hvzJXMfpwlrdqkzS2DCe2?si=MtSR-93tRc-5TdDwmQzYZg) — but I was listening to just one song from it while writing this: [_Blue Heaven Midnight Crush_](https://open.spotify.com/track/6ZyC5YTgbH9PVMydskD3Uz?si=ypG_KoA2QjGAcLN3r7YhJw) by Betty Who. If you didn’t read the summary, the title is a line from this song.

Brakebills University.

Quentin had been working hard throughout his high school years with the sole purpose of getting into some hotshot Ivy League school but his dreams were soon crushed, this was what he had settled for.

It would have been easy enough for Julia, she was always better than him in everything. Not to say Quentin wasn't of above-average intelligence, he definitely was, it’s just that he struggled more than Julia.

Maybe that was why he used to be in love with her, she always managed to make him feel jealous of everything she did.

Back before he was officially diagnosed, he was in a bad place and that jealousy had turned into something ugly. He had started to snap at her for the smallest of things.

It doesn't matter much now but he can't help but think of those moments when he stands on the grounds of his new home with Julia by his side.

Julia saw the ugliest parts of him and gave up her own chance at Ivy League just to stay by his side, she could have had her fresh start anywhere.

“Hey, we should probably find Penny, move our shit into the dorms, and then head to orientation.” Julia said as she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

She could tell he was anxious — although, was there ever really a time where he wasn’t — he swore she could just sense his emotions. Penny was so similar to Julia with how he managed to read Quentin's mind. Those two really were the perfect soulmates, it almost makes Quentin question how a third was supposed to fit into their dynamic.

Almost. He knew those two would make it work and be amazing with their third piece, besides, there was so much history their third piece offered a fresh start. It was what Julia had been longing for, a way to put her past behind her.

“Just thirty minutes left Jules, thirty minutes till I find my soulmate. Forty minutes for you.”

“Wow, that is so not helping dude.” A voice said from behind the two of them but it was quite obvious who the culprit was.

“Penny!” Julia honest-to-god giggled as she wrapped her arms around the dark-skinned man’s waist. Julia never giggled but Penny managed to pull it out of her.

It had been a long road for those two and Quentin had a front seat to that whole shit-show but their current dynamic seemed to have been worth the wait, they were finally in a good place, finally ready for _The Third_.

“Weren’t you supposed to arrive before us?” Quentin questioned even though he could already guess the cause of Penny’s lateness.

“Oh god, the old lady kept fucking going on about my bracelets and how I should leave it with her. What is with Indian grandmas and their obsession with gold?”

“Oh, you poor baby.” Julia teased as both she and Quentin patted Penny’s back in a “there, there” motion.

Despite his best efforts, Penny was never on-time, something would always come up and slow him down, without fail — although it did tend to be his family more often than not.

Quentin looked down at the clock on his arm and took a deep breath. You only found your soulmate once … or well, twice in Julia and Penny’s case?

“Let’s do this, bitches!” He declared, awkwardly throwing his hands up in the air, before marching off like a soldier headed towards a battle.

 

 

Quentin and Penny were sharing a dorm room while Julia had chosen to be randomly placed with someone. As soon as they had reached their own room Julia had sent a very long and detailed text about her bitch of a roommate, Marina.

And that’s why Quentin didn’t want a random roommate, even if he was stuck with Penny now. Better the Devil you know or however the saying goes.

It didn’t take them long to move their stuff in, none of them had brought that many valuables along. The rest could be bought from _Target_ or _Walmart_.

Just as they were leaving their room Quentin’s phone went off, alerting him to a new text message.

**┌**

 

`**HighKingEliotTheSpectacular:** Q, I’m pretty sure ur in my orientation group and I just had 2 check… is your middle name seriously Makepeace? Dear Lord, were your parents high when they named you? Which, big mood, but also, wtf?`

 

**┘**

Quentin chuckled as he read the message, Eliot was over-dramatic as always. The text was so perfectly timed too because knowing that Eliot would be there made the rest of his nerves disappear. He felt like he could breathe again.

Back when Julia had first mentioned Brakebills to him he had started using the school’s forum to communicate with its’ students. It was simply meant to be a form of research but he soon found himself constantly messaging the same student, eventually, they moved their texts to a more private setting.

Eliot and Quentin just clicked.

This would be their first time meeting each other face-to-face and Quentin felt anything but nervous. He already knew Eliot, the boy was one of his best friends — yes, unfortunately, Penny was on that list too.

“Q, we gotta’ go. You can text your boyfriend back later.”

Quentin didn’t even bother to correct Penny because they were _both_ going to be late if they didn’t hurry the fuck up.

Penny and Julia were part of the second orientation group so they were meeting their leader on the complete opposite end of the campus. They were _definitely_ going to be late, it was probably why their timer was set to reach zero ten minutes after his. But hopefully, Quentin would be just on time.

Eliot had declared the on-campus bar as the official meeting spot for Group One. They wouldn’t be allowed to order anything, of course, but it was the most Eliot thing he could do in a position of leadership and responsibility.

He once spammed Quentin with a bunch of cocktail recipes and detailed mixing instructions before realizing that he was promoting underage drinking and admitting that he himself was an avid drinker despite being under 21. Then he said, “fuck it,” and continued his spamming spree.

All in all, not someone Quentin would have immediately thought of as a leader but he could see it working out well. No one was quite as confident as Eliot, except maybe Margo, his best friend who he never stopped talking about.

Quentin probably knew more about Margo than he did about Eliot … which was kind of a sad thought. Eliot was very closed off and didn't like to communicate.

As Quentin approached the building donned with a flashing neon sign clearly labelled _The Cottage_ he took a deep breath and braced himself before throwing open the doors.

“Quentin!” Eliot threw his arm up in the air and waved him over, however as their eyes met they both froze. They could feel the timer on their arms grow warm, predictably hitting zero.

Quentin had changed into a long-sleeved shirt back up in his dorm room but he still knew that if he rolled up his sleeve there would now be a symbolic mark matching Eliot’s where the timer had been, on the inside of his right wrist.

Quentin's eyes moved up to Eliot's wrist, the one high above his head.

Their mark was in the shape of a peach and a plum. That made so much fucking sense, it was _their_ thing.

_Their_ fruits — which Eliot swore he would turn into an amazing drink flavour combo. Before learning each other's names they were Peach and Sugarplum, Eliot and Quentin respectively. Those weren't their usernames but neither of them felt like constantly referring to the other as _SpectacularKing_ or _FilloryNerd_. Of course, Eliot was the one who coined the nicknames.

Penny and Julia had this seven-point star with a keyhole in the middle as their mark, their timers and marks were on their left biceps. Julia had theorized that it symbolized her soulmates unlocking something for her, and her for them. Maybe something all three of them had felt they had lost but gained in each other.

Quentin was sure no one else had noticed Eliot’s timer change so he kept walking, acting as if he hadn’t just realized someone he cared deeply about — and if he was being honest, had a crush on — was, in fact, his soulmate.

He didn’t want to scare Eliot and he knew that if he did something to make the situation obvious to the public he’d run. He felt his stomach drop as he recalled the time he’d drunkenly texted Eliot and practically interrogated him on his timer.

Eliot had said that he didn’t care about finding his soulmate because he never wanted to be tied to someone like that, he’d spent too much of his life longing for freedom.

And that’s when his stupid fucking brain decided to play those words on repeat but now with the added effect of Eliot’s beautiful voice since he now knew what it sounded like.

The first day of orientation was just meant to be a tour, to help everyone settle in. Quentin was glad for that because it meant he could run back to his room and hide for the rest of the day. He remained quiet for the rest of the tour, letting the rest of the group ask all of the questions. Besides, he knew most of this stuff from his research already.

It seemed that Eliot had other plans though. After the group had disbanded, each heading off to their respective dorms or to the entrance, Eliot had simply grabbed Quentin’s hand with a guilty look on his face. He clearly didn’t want to even say the words out loud.

“Yeah, yeah, we should probably talk … ”

Eliot led him to a more secluded area before finally speaking, “so I guess we’re soulmates. Peaches and plums, huh, that makes sense.”

“Uh-huh.” Quentin nodded unsure of what else to say. Should he have even been speaking? It felt like the ball was in Eliot’s court.

“Okay, so, you know this soulmate shit has never been my thing. This is probably why we were picked for each other or however, it works. We can just pretend the mark doesn’t even exist and do whatever we want.”

“Just perfect,” Quentin mumbled dejectedly, letting out a sigh before attempting to change the topic, “so orientation leader huh? I figured you’d rather be spending your days mixing up your special cocktails.”

Eliot let out a soft chuckle, “you know me so well Q but Dean Fogg promised to pretend he doesn’t know I’m mixing said cocktails if I’d take over orientation duties. Fucking Todd bailed on him.”

“I should get back to my room, Penny and Julia’s second-timers were counting down as well and I’m excited to hear about whoever’s meant to complete them … “ Quentin winces as soon as the words leave his mouth, letting out a nervous chuckle he turns before making the journey back. If Eliot reacted to his words at all he is really good at hiding his emotions.

Or maybe Quentin’s just overthinking everything and it’s not that Eliot doesn’t care about soulmates, he just doesn’t want to be _his_ soulmate.

 

 

Quentin slammed the door behind him as he made his way into the room. He didn't mean to but he felt so jittery and full of pent-up energy.

“Q? You okay?” He heard Julia say but he couldn't see her because his vision was starting to blur. Oh, that was probably because he was crying. Like a fucking baby. Just great. Good job, Quentin.

“Not really, no,” Quentin said but he clenched his fist and willed himself to calm _the fuck_ down, “but I don’t want to talk about me right now, tell me about _The Third_.”

“Her name is Kady, Penny’s out getting some takeout and drinks by the way. He’ll be back soon.”

God, he can practically hear the smile in her voice. Quentin is seething with jealousy and he knows he should be happy for Julia, god does she fucking deserve it. He can’t help his emotions though.

“Tell me more about her, I’ll tell you my thing when Penny gets back.”

“Okay, so we were late but Kady was even worse than us and she looked so good when she was running. Penny and I were like statues, just staring at her because like I said: gorgeous. And she just walks up to us and says ‘yo, guess you guys are my soulmates’.”

As his vision clears Quentin realizes he can now _see_ the smile as well, she looks so good smiling like that. It’s been a while, after _last year_. Penny and Quentin were there for her during the whole ordeal but Quentin thinks it’s the fact that she’s found her other soulmate that has sealed the deal for her. She’s actually getting a fresh start. That whole nightmare is actually _past_ her.

“So we’ve got: hot, confident, and even worse than Penny at time management. Sounds perfect for you guys.” Quentin gives her a smile through his tear-stained cheeks.

“She’s smart too. As we walked around our orientation leader decided to pop quiz us, I think she wanted to mess with us a bit, and Kady got most of the questions right. I think we started competing at one point.”

“Of course you did.” Quentin says right as the door opens revealing Penny with two paper bags in his hands which was presumably the food and drinks.

“Coldwater, so you’re back.”

Quentin got up to help Penny but he sat back down almost immediately because Julia shot him a _look_. It seemed she was making it her mission to cheer him up.

Once they were all settled Julia opened her mouth, “okay Q, what happened?”

Quentin’s chest tightened as he tried to think of the best place to start.

“Eliot’s my soulmate.”

Julia and Penny shared a look but Penny was the one who spoke next, “that surprises no one.”

“Well, it surprised Eliot because he doesn’t care about the whole soulmate shebang! He doesn’t _want_ to be my soulmate … “ Quentin mumbled the last part.

“Oh, honey. Maybe you should just give it time. I know you already have feelings for him but he could just need time.”

Why did they have to know Quentin better than he knew himself?

 

 

It turns out what Eliot needed was not, in fact, time.

By the end of orientation week, Eliot had a boyfriend — his name was Mitch or Micah, something like that — and Quentin had learned how to successfully sow without stabbing himself.

Oh and he finally "met" Margo who as it turned out was the orientation leader for Julia and Penny’s group. It was a very one-sided meeting since she was busy running around, it was more just Eliot pointing her out than a meeting. Quentin should have known she wouldn’t leave Eliot to suffer through this alone.

Each orientation group had made their own flag and then participated in a bunch of games. They also had this weird indoor camping experience where each group did a really stupid dance number, that was the day where alumni members were invited to check out the students. And it also happens to be the day that Eliot met — oh, it was Mike. He was a graduate student who had already made a name for himself in the indoor designing industry, his mentor was an alumni member Eliot was an avid fan of.

Basically, he’s perfect for Eliot.

Quentin felt a little bitter towards the whole situation because this only provided evidence for the “Eliot doesn’t want to be his soulmate” theory.

He knows it’s unfair of him to wish for any form of a more-than-platonic relationship with Eliot. Just because you’re soulmates with someone doesn’t mean you’ll work on a long-term basis.

His parents didn’t work. As soon as he was born Quentin’s mum left and started dating her colleague, Molly. They’re still not married but Quentin thinks it’s for the best, his mum doesn’t do well tied down. She panics and begins to feel trapped … and then she runs.

When she runs she’ll drop everything, her job, her kid, everything.

Eliot’s probably the same way.

 

 

A week later and they were still together. Luckily for Quentin, it was time for the semester to start. He could focus on schoolwork and just pretend soulmates aren’t a thing.

His first lecture on Monday was _Literatures in English to 1700_. He was hoping he had done well enough in his AP exams to skip the basic courses but he hadn’t. Julia had though, so he was all alone for this one.

Penny had picked most of the evening lectures so even if he did share a course with Quentin — which he didn't, Art majors and English majors had wildly different courses — they had completely different hours.

Sometimes Quentin resented having Penny as a best friend … most of the time. Their friendship had begun as a mutual comradery over their crushes on Julia, before that it was a bitter rivalry.

During the entirety of the lecture, Quentin could see most of his classmates taking notes, but one of those who weren't drew his eye. A blonde girl a few seats in front of him, she looked almost as bored as him but not in the same way as those disinterested in the class. Every now and then she would smile, intrigued by random blips of information, but all-in-all she seemed like she'd rather be elsewhere.

As soon as Quentin’s eyes landed on her it was as if every atom in his body screamed at him to talk to her. It was the same feeling he got when he first saw Julia, a gut feeling telling him this person could become someone important to him.

He could just feel that she was somehow a kindred spirit.

So that was what he did. Quentin, also known as the walking ball of anxiety, went up to this random stranger after class and said, “hi, I’m Quentin.”

“I’m Alice, did you want something?” She asked looking around, probably trying to figure out why he was talking to her.

“No, well, kinda, I mean — sorry, I just thought maybe we could be friends. You looked as bored as me during the lecture and I’m an English major.” It took him a while but eventually, Quentin managed to formulate a semi-coherent sentence.

“Ah, I’m majoring in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies so this course is just a requirement for me. I pretty much know this material already.” She gave a shy smile as she pushed up her glasses.

“I didn’t get enough credits to skip the pre-requisite courses but I know the material as well.”

“We should probably walk while we talk.”

And so Alice began leading the way as they chatted, becoming fast friends.

Alice ended up fitting into their circle nicely, Julia and her butted heads sometimes because of how similar they were but they also had fun together. Their debates could be quite entertaining to watch. Kady helped Alice to be more confident — although Alice went a bit overboard on the confidence bit sometimes. Penny helped her to relax. And Quentin? Quentin got her to open up. It seemed to be something he was good at.

Maybe it was because Quentin himself was such an open person, others seemed to do the same around him.

Alice didn’t attend orientation because her family was full of alumni so she talked to Dean Fogg and managed to get excused from it.

For a while, everything felt calm and Quentin actually forgot about Eliot not wanting him.

Of course, the universe couldn’t let _that_ last long.

He was walking by _The Cottage_ one day with Alice when he ran into Eliot and _Mike_. Perfect, should have been Eliot’s soulmate, Mike.

“Oh, Q! This is Mike, I’m sure you remember him from the last day of orientation!”

Remember him? Of course, Quentin remembered seeing Eliot make-out with him for most of the night. Quentin had no idea why he was even this upset, he didn't have the right. They may be soulmates but that didn’t mean anything, at least to Eliot.

“Uh, hi. This is Alice. She’s in my English class.” Quentin waved between them awkwardly.

Something in the air shifted at that moment. It was as if the awkwardness had been turned into pure tension.

Eliot cleared his throat to say something but was interrupted by Mike — who was staring at Quentin’s hand? Why? He was just holding books, oh shit, Quentin was wearing a short-sleeved shirt today.

“Well Eliot, I’ve got to go back but I’ll text you later. Nice to finally be meeting you, Quentin.”

It seemed Alice took that as her queue to leave as well because she gave Quentin’s arm a soft squeeze, muttered a quiet bye, and then gave a short wave before walking away.

“So, it looked like things between you two are going well.” Quentin said in a sad attempt to break the tension, his eyes focusing on everything but the boy in front of him.

“For you as well I see.”

Quentin’s head snapped up, his brows furrowed in confusion. He tilted his head to the side as he tried to decipher what Eliot had meant by that.

“Oh, shit, yeah, no. Alice and I aren’t dating.” Quentin’s eyes were now as wide as saucers. That had really caught him off-guard. He hadn’t even thought of that.

“Yet.”

“Never.” Why was Eliot being so adamant on this? Did he want to get rid of Quentin that badly?

“You used to have a crush on Julia and Alice pretty much gives off the same vibe as her.” Eliot points out, waving his hand dismissively as if he had just made a good point.

“They're similar, not exactly the same, and my crush on Julia faded a year ago.”

“A year ago?” Shit. That’s when he first started chatting with Eliot.

“Woah, is that the time? I’ve gotta’ go or I’ll be late. Bye, let’s talk later.” Quentin said as casually as he could, which was not that casual. It was clear he just wanted to escape the conversation. What Eliot would gather from that conversation he didn’t know.

When he reached his dorm room Penny was gone, probably attending a lecture.

Not ready to face Eliot yet he shot off a text to Julia, telling her to come over for a _Bitch and Cuddle_. Julia came up with the name but it was a thing they'd been doing for years.

While waiting he decided to message Alice who was online, unlike the rest of their friends.

**┌**

 

`**Chatwin’s Torrent:** Sorry earlier was so awkward. Things with Eliot are complicated.`

 

`**TheMouseInsideMe:** I understand, I saw the marks. My soulmate and I aren’t on the best of terms either.`

 

`**Chatwin’s Torrent:** Oh, not like that. We’re best friends, it’s just that Eliot doesn’t want to … be with me … like that.`

 

**┘**

Quentin didn’t get the chance to read her reply because the door to his room was pushed open by a winded looking Julia.

“Did … did you run here?”

Julia put her hand up, signalling for him to wait, as she caught her breath before replying, “you seemed distressed.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” Quentin threw his phone onto his desk as he flopped down onto his bed. Julia joined him soon after, immediately wrapping her arms around his waist as he chucked his left arm under her. He curled his fingers around her right shoulder and she tucked her head under his neck.

They fit together so nicely it was like they were made for each other. If people got marks for platonic soulmates they would definitely have each other.

“Fill me in Q.”

“I ran into Eliot while I was walking with Alice and he kept trying to push me to get with her. It was so awkward.”

“Well she does have a bit of a crush on you so maybe you should?”

Quentin’s brain shut down at that.

“What? But I’m not her soulmate?”

“Obviously but not everyone trusts the system Q. She’s never even talked about her soulmate before and we’ve gotten her to open up about Charlie.”

“Yeah, I already know that from experience, thanks,” when Julia smacked his arm he continued, “she did mention something about not being on the best of terms with her soulmate.”

“Maybe, just give it a shot?”

Quentin entertained the idea for five seconds before he was filled with overwhelming guilt.

He turned his head to the side as a single tear rolled down his right cheek, “I can’t do that to Alice. Jules, I love Eliot too much. It wouldn’t be right to do that to her.”

He blinked back the rest of his tears as he waited for Julia to answer, she was being strangely quiet. Once his vision had cleared he turned to her. Julia looked into his eyes, searching for something, whatever it was it was clear she didn’t find it.

“That was the first time you used the word love Q. You didn’t even use it on your first girlfriend.”

His first thought was that he never loved his first girlfriend because he was in love with Julia instead but then the weight of her words hit him.

“Fuck.”

“You didn’t love your first boyfriend either.” Julia pointed out.

“Fuck.”

Quentin sat up, pulling Julia along with him. The panic was setting in and someone on his contact list apparently had great timing because his phone went off with the sound of a notification, right at that second.

Julia got up and grabbed his phone for him as he held a hand over his throat, trying to calm himself down.

It was from Eliot. Fuck.

**┌**

 

`**HighKingEliotTheSpectacular:** So Margo n I are throwing a party at our place this Sat. Feel free to bring your gaggle of friends. That includes Alice. ;) I’ll text you the address on Sat itself. Be there by 8, it’ll start getting packed at 9.`

 

**┘**

“We’re going.”

Quentin’s eyes widened with panic.

“No way Julia, no. I definitely can’t face him now.”

“This is exactly why you have to talk to him, you idiot! You’ve been really torn up about this so it’s time you two sort this out.”

“I’d rather die than talk to him, Jules!” Quentin whined.

“Q, sweetie. You want to die all the time, what's the difference? Just man up.”

There’s something about the way she says it that makes Quentin crack, he just starts giggling and pretty soon he’s on the floor laughing uncontrollably.

Once he catches his breath and has sobered up he clears his throat, “alright, so we should probably tell the others about this party.”

Julia always gets her way.

 

 

Penny and Kady are both equally bad at time management so Julia told them to meet her at Eliot’s place. That way she could drive Quentin and be there for her best friend as he attempts to have an actual conversation with his soulmate who is equally bad at these things.

Alice was carpooling with them as well but that detail didn’t seem as significant to Quentin.

Although come to think of it, there was something weird about Alice during the entirety of the drive. Alice was normally calm and collected but she seemed _on-edge_ during the drive, she was acting like a kid with ADHD-HI. Constantly bouncing her leg, drumming her fingers on every surface. It was unnerving, to say the least. It made Quentin feel off-kilter.

If he traced it back it seemed to start in the afternoon, she basically just tensed up as he was telling her about Eliot and Margo. He was just trying to give her a background on the two of them since they were going to their _house_. Or well apartment, people didn’t have _houses_ in New York unless they had a ton of money.

After that, she’s just been _weird_. Which is saying something coming from Quentin, the self-proclaimed captain of the weird ship.

“Alright kids, we’re here. Now get the fuck out so I can find a damn parking spot.” Julia ordered proving once again to Quentin she would have been a _great_ mother.

When Quentin walked up to the door with Alice in tow it was neither Eliot or Margo who opened the door for them, instead, it was a brunet male holding a plastic container filled with brownies.

“Oh damn, you guys are early. I’m Josh!”

“Actually we’re not, Eliot told us to come at 8?”

Josh’s eyes widened comically as a big smile overtook his face, “you’re Quentin! Can I call you Q, I’ve always thought that was a bomb ass nickname.”

“Uh, yeah, sure. This is Alice?” Quentin has no idea why that came out sounding more like a question but it did.

Josh threw open the door a bit too enthusiastically because it hit the wall and bounced back, hitting Josh in the side of his face.

“Jesus!” Alice and Quentin yelped at the same time, rushing forward to help Josh who fell to the floor out of shock.

“Hoberman! What the fuck are you doing out there — Alice?”

Quentin heard Alice mutter a barely audible, “fuck,” in response before giving Margo an awkward wave, “hi.”

Margo cleared her throat and quickly regained her composure, acting as if she hadn’t just gone rigid at the sight of Alice. But it seems Quentin was the only one who had noticed, Alice was too busy staring at the floor and Josh was preoccupied.

“So this is the famous Coldwater?” Margo turned her head to smirk at someone behind her, it was Eliot who walked out of the kitchen soon after, “he’s not _that_ cute.”

Quentin had no idea how to react to that statement and it seems neither did Eliot because he started shoving glasses into everyone’s hands.

Eliot quickly hurried back into the kitchen, presumably checking on the food and mixing drinks. Quentin took the opportunity to observe Alice. She clearly had some form of history with Margo but he couldn’t figure it out.

Josh and Margo were standing by the snack table where the brownies now resided chatting away, Alice clearly didn’t want to join in on the conversation but she never took her eyes off of Margo. She looked almost nauseous as she watched the two of them.

Quentin decided to leave her to it as he walked past Margo and Josh, looking for Eliot. When he couldn’t find him in the kitchen Quentin slid open the door to the balcony. There he stood with a cigarette stick sitting between his lips.

“Hey, Eliot.” Quentin said so softly he was surprised it didn’t come out as a whisper, it almost didn’t sound like him at all. He’s never sounded so _endeared_ before.

“Hey Q-ree-o, where’s the rest of your little gang?”

“Julia should have found a parking spot by now and Penny’s coming by later with Kady. They’re always late, it’s kind of their thing.”

“Mike broke up with me.”

“What? Why?” Quentin spat out hoping Eliot didn’t notice that he was biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smiling.

Eliot looked away from Quentin before answering, “that doesn’t matter.”

Quentin had a feeling he knew the answer.

“It’s because of me isn’t it?”

Eliot’s head whipped around, he stared at Quentin with a look of pure panic, “what — ”

Quentin cut Eliot off, “he saw my mark when we ran into each other that day. I’m sorry.”

Eliot visibly relaxed at Quentin’s words but that didn’t make any sense to him so it was probably just his imagination.

“Yeah, when people aren’t dating their soulmates they don’t normally stay friends with them.”

“You know I didn’t really take you for the dating type.”

That seemed to throw Eliot off, he shot Quentin a questioning glance, “why?”

“Well, for one thing, you don’t like the idea of soulmates because it ties you to someone and I don’t know, I figured your reasoning would be like my mum’s.”

“Your mum?”

“She’s so scared of commitment she can’t marry her girlfriend of ten years who is, by the way, not her soulmate. That was my dad but they just didn’t work.”

“My life is what doesn’t work,” when Quentin shot him a look of incredulity he cut Quentin off, “and nothing’s ever seemed to fix that so I run from everything. I’m not scared of commitment, I’m scared of ruining something that actually works.”

“Maybe the universe isn’t always wrong.” Quentin whispered, terrified of breaking the delicate balance between them.

“Did you know Margo’s met her soulmate already?”

“What does that — ”

“They met at some summer camp apparently, this was the same summer Margo’s dad started becoming a real piece of work too, so meeting her soulmate? It was a big deal to her. Apparently stuff happened, and she just left her. The biggest joke of it all is that every time Margo’s scared she cradles her hand, clutches on to it and traces that damn mark to calm herself down.”

Not knowing what to say to that Quentin settles on the obvious, “have you seen the mark?”

“Yeah, it’s a magnifying glass and ice. Some sciency-looking shit.”

“Could it have been a misunderstanding?”

“Maybe, maybe not. Who the fuck cares Q? Margo still got hurt. Soulmates? It’s bullshit.” Eliot drops his cigarette bud and crushes it with his foot, snuffing out the last of the embers.

For the rest of the night, Eliot steered clear of Quentin. Quentin did the same.

He never got to tell him that the same sciency-looking mark resided on Alice’s palm, she covered it up most of the time with a soulmate sticker — skin-toned stickers to cover up marks or timers — but it was undoubtedly the same, unique mark.

The universe didn’t pair people up at random, it paired people who were constantly in each other’s orbit. People meant to mean something to each other.

 

 

For the next few weeks Quentin and Eliot never saw each other, they still messaged each other occasionally but it always came off as awkward and antagonistic.

Quentin saw Margo more often than he saw Eliot at this point. Even if he didn’t strike up a conversation with her every time she seemed to be on-campus more.

Alice noticed too. She was the one who brought it up.

But then she took it a step further and brought up Josh who she found out lives on-campus. She’s convinced that Margo and Josh are dating, apparently, they seemed way too close at the party to just be  _friends_.

And Quentin knows a thing or two about pining so he knows it’s a matter of time before Alice snaps.

Apparently, that day is today because Alice runs at him while he’s walking back to his dorm to ask him out on a date.

It’s about as romantic as it sounds.

In fact, it’s so abrupt that Quentin nearly dropped his backpack. Well, it was either because of that or because Quentin was walking while trying to stuff his textbooks and binders into his bag.

As Quentin takes a moment to put his things away Alice visibly deflates, clearly sensing that a resounding “no” was coming.

Quentin takes a deep breath before starting his speech, “Alice. The one thing in my life that I have never doubted is my sexuality, but it’s the opposite for you isn’t it?”

“I don’t understand, Q.” Alice sounded so timid at that moment he just wanted to give her a hug but that would have to wait. He needed to finish telling her this first.

Quentin placed his hand on Alice’s cheek, lifting her head so that her eyes would meet his, “Alice, why do you want to be with me? Is it because you genuinely like me or am I just the safe choice? Because you’re always watching Margo and I know you like to pretend otherwise but you are.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.” She looked so scared and ready to cry it made Quentin feel emotional as well.

“From where I stand you like her, but you’re scared. Do you really want to always be unnecessarily unhappy?”

And that’s when the dam broke because for the next five minutes Quentin was holding Alice as she cried into his shoulder — which can’t be comfortable at all, he’s been told his shoulder is so bony it practically feels wooden.

Once she was done Alice gave Quentin a quick, feathery, kiss on the cheek before running off to presumably look for Margo. They had _a lot_ to talk about. Quentin hoped she could find her, their situation seemed even more complicated than his and Eliot’s. They all deserved to get their happy endings.

Quentin continued walking to his dorm but he stopped once again when he noticed a figure leaning against the brick wall of the dormitory. That tall figure was most definitely Eliot.

Quentin braced himself and began brisk walking, there was no doubt in his mind Eliot had been watching him.

“Q.” That was all Eliot said, giving Quentin a curt nod and following him inside as he opened the door to the building.

“What’s up El?”

Eliot didn’t reply, remaining silent as he signed the visitor sheet. Only speaking once they had reached his room, thank goodness Penny was out right now so he didn’t have to witness Eliot awkwardly pacing around their room as Quentin sat on his bed with his legs crossed.

“So you finally got together with blondie?”

“Her name is Alice — wait, what? No? I was turning her down? Because she doesn’t actually like me?” Quentin's confusion made everything come out sounding like a question.

And then the conversation took a weird turn because Eliot seemed to be focusing on the completely wrong thing.

“Would you have said yes if she did?”

That’s when Quentin realized what all this was about, he thought back to Eliot’s melancholy speech from the day of the party.

“Oh my god. At least Alice has an excuse for making a mess out of her soulmate situation but what’s your’s Eliot?”

“I — ”

“Yeah, you’re scared of messing this up. But at this point, you’re kind of jerking me around with all the mixed signals. You’re jealous but scared, touchy but distant. Stop overthinking this. We already know we work. We were friends, best friends first, before realizing we’re soulmates. Who gets that kind of proof of concept? Even if we weren’t soulmates we’d be perfect for each other but we are. _We're_ peaches and plums, the perfect combo.”

After that rant, Quentin was left struggling to catch his breath. Eliot sat down next to him and placed his hand on Quentin’s knee.

“I came here to talk to you about all of that because yes, I have been an idiot for overcomplicating everything. On the day of the party, Julia talked to me after our chat on the balcony and after that, I just needed time to clear my head, get my thoughts in order. Margo’s been on my case all week, telling me to just nut up and talk to you.”

“She does have an eloquent way of putting things.”

“That’s my Bambi,” Eliot chuckled before quickly sobering up, “Mike broke up with me because he said it was clear that I loved you but he didn’t understand the extent until he saw our marks. Like you said, peaches and plums, motherfucker.”

“Hey.” Quentin whispered before placing a quick and chaste kiss on Eliot’s lips, he hoped Eliot got the message, the unsaid “ _I love you_ ”.

“No more overthinking.” Eliot whispered back before placing his free hand on the back of Quentin’s neck and kissing him more intensely.

“Jeez El, take me out to dinner first.” Quentin teased not really expecting a serious response but he got one nonetheless.

“Sure, are you free now?”

Not wanting Eliot to mistake his shock as hesitance Quentin placed another light kiss on Eliot’s lips and quickly got up from the bed, offering Eliot a hand as he said, “it’s a date.”

It took them a while to get to the starting line but they finally made it. Now they’ve got a long road ahead of them before they reach the end, perhaps fifty years, maybe more.

**_FIN_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Additional Warnings:
> 
> Implied Rape/Non-con — Julia having a deeply traumatic experience that is alluded to but if you are aware of the canon events then you can probably guess what the incident was.
> 
> Implied Teenage Pregnancy — Quentin mentions that Julia would have been a great mother, the phrasing is completely intentional.
> 
> Implied Internalized Homophobia — Alice has some internalized issues she never dealt with, she never makes any homophobic comments but the pressure she puts on her self counts as homophobia.
> 
> Copyright:
> 
> The Magicians © Lev Grossman
> 
> **✩║ A/N ║✩**
> 
> This started off as a solely queliot idea but it’s now spanned into its own miniverse so look out for a malice spin-off, adiwickoff spin-off, and 5+1 sequel where queliot get their shit together. Which, like, teach me how? I’m still trying to do that and failing.
> 
> In other news, I’m currently working on a rewrite/canon-divergent Magicians fic: _i've been searching for a trail to follow_. It’s basically a self-indulgent version of timeline 40 where everything is so much more complicated than necessary. It’s actually my only rewrite where there’s no reason for the changes, I normally have a domino effect spanning from a single alteration. But it’s just 100% self-indulgent.
> 
> — DUSK
> 
> [-ˏˋ check out my links on tumblr ˊˎ-](https://borninthedusk.tumblr.com/post/190518654423/cause-were-more-than-friends-were-perfect)


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